Gray Dawes Travel is a multi-award winning, global travel management company with offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, The Netherlands and the United States. Established in 1865, we're constantly growing by using technology and our passion for what we do to keep evolving.
With a laser focus on offering our clients a high touch, high tech, high content experience, at Gray Dawes we're not just there to deliver the best corporate travel fares, the most innovative itineraries, the slickest online tools or the most experienced consultants. We're there as an extension of our clients' own organisations - their out-of-house travel department. We achieve this because of the depths we go to in understanding our clients, their culture, their brand values and business objectives. And we always deliver... better!
If this all sounds like something you want to be a part of then we'd like to hear from you. We offer a fantastic work environment, with all the benefits and perks you'd expect from a forward-thinking and people-focussed organisation. And we're always on the lookout for skilled and motivated individuals to become part of the Gray Dawes family.
Our people are at the heart of our business and we're seeking an experienced Financial Planning & Analysis Manager who will take responsibility for leading the planning, forecasting, performance reporting and commercial insight agenda for Gray Dawes. Reporting to the CFO, this role will provide clear financial analysis, that supports strategic decision-making, well-constructed forecast and budget disciplines, drives performance improvement and enables sustainable growth across multiple markets, customers and service lines. The postholder will support the annual budgeting process, rolling forecasts, long-range planning, management information and scenario modelling, while partnering closely with senior leaders across finance, sales, operations, technology and commercial teams. The role requires strong analytical capability, commercial judgement and the ability to translate complex financial data into practical recommendations for action.
What You'll Do
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Lead the company's financial planning and analysis function, ensuring robust processes, controls and high-quality outputs.
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Produce timely and insightful management information, dashboards and board-level reporting, including commentary on performance, risks and opportunities.
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Provide clear analysis of revenue, margin, operating costs, productivity and profitability across customers, markets, products and service lines.
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Partner with the CFO and senior leadership team to support strategic decision-making, resource allocation and prioritisation.
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Support commercial teams with customer profitability analysis, pricing decisions, contract evaluations and business case development.
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Work closely with operational leaders to understand drivers of performance and identify actions to improve efficiency, service delivery and financial outcomes.
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Lead cash flow forecasting and support working capital planning in partnership with the wider finance team.
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Drive consistency, automation and continuous improvement in planning, reporting and analytical processes.
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Provide analysis and insight on market trends, travel demand patterns, supplier dynamics and external risks that may affect business performance.
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Build strong relationships with key stakeholders across international locations and functions, acting as a trusted finance business partner.
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Lead and develop the FP&A function, creating a high-performance, collaborative and commercially focused culture.
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Support corporate activity such as transformation programmes, system implementations, acquisitions or new market opportunities where required.
What we're looking for
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Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience.
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Proven experience in a senior FP&A, commercial finance or business partnering leadership role.
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Strong track record of leading budgeting, forecasting, reporting and financial modelling in a complex, fast-paced organisation.
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Experience of supporting senior executives with commercially focused analysis and strategic insight.
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Experience within travel, travel management, business services, hospitality, aviation or another multi-site, international, customer-led environment is highly desirable.
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Strong understanding of revenue drivers, gross margin, operating cost structures and performance metrics in a service-based business.
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Experience working across global or multi-country operations, with an appreciation of regional market dynamics and complexity.
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Experience of developing management information packs, board reporting and performance dashboards.
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Demonstrable experience of improving systems, processes and data quality within finance and reporting environments.
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Advanced capability in Excel and strong experience with financial planning, reporting and business intelligence tools.
What We Can Offer
Our people are our heartbeats, driving everything that we do. We encourage our people to be their best selves, do the right thing, tell it like it is and be flexible. This opportunity will allow our new team members to be part of our journey as we expand in the global market. As we value our people, we offer a range of great benefits including;
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Cash plan scheme (after probationary period has been completed)
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Group Life Cover (after probationary period has been completed)
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EAP Scheme
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Pension Scheme
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Volunteering days
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Travel Discounts
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Shopping discounts
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Christmas Savings Scheme
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Season Ticket Loans